


Anarchy Z

by Anonymous



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Bisexual Female Character, Blood and Gore, Death, Donna is lowkey a badass too, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Jax is a smart ass, Juice is doing his best, Love Triangles, Opie is the glue holding this group together, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Survival Horror, Suspense, Tara is a badass, Teamwork makes the dream work, Teen Romance, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:53:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26872474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The students of Charming High expected their senior year to suck. However, a zombie apocalypse was not what they had in mind.Six teens find each other at just the right time and band together in order to survive. They're either going to solve the outbreak's mysteries and find love and friendship, or die trying.ORA bad boy, a computer nerd, a gentle giant, a Type A, a shy girl, a wannabe politician and the zombie apocalypse.
Relationships: Donna Winston/Opie Winston, Juice Ortiz/Original Female Character(s), Tara Knowles/Jax Teller, Tara Knowles/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 6





	1. Cover




	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Prologue does not contain anyone from SOA. It sets the stage for Chapter 1, when our main characters do appear.

** Lexi **

It was just after two a.m. when Lexi Hayes began walking home from the party. Her friends were too drunk to drive, and after a few failed attempts to call her sister, she started on the journey through the dark streets of Charming. The streetlights had been out since twelve, and a heavy fog had settled in. It severely limited her vision, only allowing her to see one block ahead. She paced forwards while clutching her house key in her fist, making sure that the sharp end jutted out past her fingers.

When the sun rose into the sky in just mere hours, this exact street would be filled with people. But for now, with only the full moon as a guiding light, that thought was more threatening than comforting. The atmosphere was the perfect breeding ground for her mind to play shallow tricks on her.

Dwelling on all the terrible things that could happen to a girl her age walking alone at night, her brain created shadowy figures and nightmarish creatures in the corner of her eye. How long had she been on this particular block? The sidewalk felt never-ending.

She let out a nervous chuckle for having such silly thoughts. Charming was a small, quaint town. It was not like there were any serial killers looming in the shadows, waiting to jump her.

At least, she hoped not.

In that exact moment, she heard a rattle coming from what she estimated to be two blocks ahead. It sounded like someone was dragging a heavy metal chain across the rough pavement. Her body stiffened, and the sound abruptly stopped. It was replaced by a sobering silence.

Had she only imagined it?

 _No_ , there it was again. It was getting closer.

Lexi surveyed her surroundings. She knew exactly where she was, only _three_ blocks away from safety. If she were to turn back now, it would take another twenty minutes to get home. The unnerving noise stopped and started again. It was persistent, picking up where it left off as it drew nearer.

She crossed the street. When she passed by whatever _it_ was, she would make a mad dash to her front porch. By this point, she was only a block away from the source of her uneasiness. Each time the sound quieted, her eardrums were drowned in the frantic pounding of her heartbeat.

Next came the smell. The stench, which was like a mixture of rotting meat and cheap perfume, infiltrated her nostrils. It was enough to make her want to gag.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her body was covered in a thin layer of cold sweat, and goosebumps had sprouted on her arms. Along with the physical symptoms, she could not shake the disturbing feeling of being watched.

“Just breathe,” Lexi said to herself. She was so close. She shut her eyelids and focused on her breathing until her heart rate had returned to normal. Finally, she mustered up the courage to tighten her grip on the house key and went ahead down the street.

She could now make out the outline of the figure. It was a man around six feet tall. He slowly lumbered towards her. There was something _off_ about him. His movements were jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel, and his arms absentmindedly flailed around with no real motivation or rhythm. He was having difficulty keeping his head upright, and his shoulders drooped.

He looked like a person, _but not quite_. His skin was a bluish gray. Like a corpse. He dragged his feet, never once lifting them off the ground. She realized that the rattling sound _was_ coming from a chain wrapped around the man’s ankle, as if he had only recently broken free of his shackles.

Lexi wanted to move, run, scream, and do anything other than stand there. But she could not. She was frozen, petrified and in awe of the sight before her.

The thing noticed her, too. It let out a low, guttural groan and instantly began to move faster, with purpose.

Whatever it was, she did not plan to see any more of it. Her feet that had been previously cemented to the concrete sprang into action. She pivoted on her heel and took off in the other direction, away from her house. Her original plan was forgotten, she would have to take the long way home.

The wind whistled through her hair as she ran, her speed fighting to catch up with her racing pulse. She did not dare to look back or stop. She nearly stumbled on a crack but quickly regained her footing.

Her trembling legs finally gave out. Her eyes darted in every direction, but the coast was clear. Not wanting to come to a full stop, she began to walk. Up ahead, she observed a girl standing along the side of the road. She stood facing away from Lexi.

She recognized the girl from school by her colorful backpack, and by a distinguishable style of clothing: overalls and high-top sneakers.

Lexi pressed a palm to her chest and inhaled. She was so relieved to see her friend that she did not think twice about why Katie was out this late, given that she had not been at the party.

“Hey, Katie!” she called out. “It’s not safe here. There’s something, uh, _someone_ , wandering around. We should walk together!”

Katie said nothing in return. She continued to stand with her back to Lexi.

“Uh, Katie?” she said and hesitantly approached her. “Everything alright?”

No response, not even the slightest recognition of her presence. She exhaled a deep breath and gently placed her hand on Katie’s shoulder. “Can you hear- “

Katie slowly turned around, and Lexi’s blood ran cold as she stared death directly in the face.

There were only sockets where Katie’s eyes used to be. Not only had they been gouged, but there were patches of skin missing from her cheeks and forehead. Her mouth was permanently contorted into an ‘o’ shape. She had died screaming.

Before her victim could flee, the undead Katie grabbed Lexi and sank her decaying teeth into her soft flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! :) 
> 
> So, this is a Halloween spin-off to my high school AU fic. I love October, and I especially love writing spooky content! I hope you all enjoyed the Prologue and stay tuned for Chapter 1.


	3. (1) outbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story will be written in multiple POVs. 
> 
> A normal day at Charming High school, where everything goes according to plan and nothing goes wrong.

**Darkness falls across the land**

**The midnight hour is close at hand**

**Creatures crawl in search of blood**

**To terrorize y’alls neighborhood –**

**Michael Jackson (Thriller)**

** Audrey **

The sinister thing about autumn is that it is a quiet reminder that death is inevitable. When summer ends, the days get shorter and the temperature begins to drop. Green September leaves turn into brilliant shades of red and orange before they fall and shrivel up like prunes. There is an unmistakable chill in the evening, and you wake up to frost on the ground every morning, with mist and fog in the air. Those dry, dead leaves crunch beneath your feet and clouds appear when you breathe out. There is a lingering warmth but always a constant reminder of the cold to come.

That being said, it was Audrey Hayes’ favorite season.

She had simple things on her mind that morning. She wanted to stop by the cafeteria and grab a caramel macchiato before homeroom. She _needed_ to go to the mall and buy a new blazer since she had worn her current one to the last three student council meetings. Her parent’s flight from JFK was due to arrive at LAX this afternoon - and her sister was looking a little under the weather.

“Are you feeling okay, Lex? You looked like you were going to barf all over my passenger side,” Audrey said to Lexi as she reset her combination lock.

Lexi leaned against the row of lockers and pressed her palm to her forehead. “I’m fine, I didn’t sleep well last night. That’s all,” she replied.

Audrey studied her. To put it short, she looked like hell. She had giant purple bags underneath her eyes and her skin, which normally had a golden undertone, was as pale as a marble slate. “Listen,” she said. “I don’t mind driving you back home. Homeroom hasn’t started, and I’ll have a reasonable excuse for being late- “

Lexi raised her voice. “I said that I was fine!”

She held up her hands. “Geez, I apologize for being concerned about your well-being.”

Lexi sighed. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper, I’m just nervous about mom and dad coming home.” 

Their parents had been away on a business trip for the last two weeks, leaving Audrey in charge. Even though Lexi was only two years younger than her and a sophomore, Audrey had always been the _responsible_ one. “You’re going to miss my cooking, aren’t you?” she said and jokingly tossed her hair over her shoulder.

“Don’t pride yourself, Addie. Those veggie burgers you made the other night were _sad_. No flavor, soggy texture, and honestly, I didn’t even know what you were _going_ for- “

“Okay!” She rolled her eyes. “So, I’ll never be a guest star on _Cooking Live_. Sue me.”

“At least you know that you’re a politician and not a chef,” Lexi replied.

“It wasn’t all bad. Be grateful that I gave you an eleven o’clock curfew,” she said.

Lexi glanced at the floor in a furtive manner. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

“Tell you what, I’ll make it up to you. How about we go to the new Italian restaurant that opened up on Main Street?” Audrey suggested. “I hear the food is amazing, and the waiters are _super-hot_.”

“Your treat?”

She giggled. “ _Duh_.”

“Well in that case, I’d love to go.”

She gave her a lackluster smile, but there was still something about Lexi that bothered her. “Why are you wearing such a thick scarf?” she asked. “October in California isn’t exactly bundle-up weather.”

“Oh,” Lexi replied. “I’ve got this weird rash that the entire school doesn’t have to know about.”

She quirked a brow. “Are you sure it’s not a _hickey_?”

Lexi took a step back. “No! Can we just get to homeroom, please?”

Her gut instinct told her that something was off, but she decided not to push any further. If Lexi thought she was well enough to stay at school, then it was most likely just a stomach bug, which was common this time of year. She gestured towards the hallway. “Right behind you.”

Audrey had barely rounded the corner when a hulking figure slammed into her, knocking her textbooks to the ground. The impact had force, the person must have been running down the hallway. She looked up to see that it was her ex-boyfriend, Justin, with a stupid grin on his face.

“Would it kill you to watch where you’re going?” she spat, biting back a few words that would be inappropriate coming from the student council president.

“Or what? You gonna arrest me, prez?” he replied as he leaned over to retrieve her books.

She smirked. “No, but I can suggest you attend peer mediation, and my opinion goes a _long_ way. They meet after school on Mondays and Wednesdays, you know, during football practice- “

His lips curved into a frown. “That won’t be necessary. I’m sorry about running into you, I was reenacting a fight I got into this morning for my buddies.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “A fight? Care to elaborate?”

His playful demeanor faded away as he recounted the events. “Some crazed hobo attacked me on my way to school, the guy was acting like he was on meth or something. I was lucky to get away with only a nick on my back.”

Justin turned around, revealing that the back of his white school uniform was covered in blood. His shirt was torn, and Audrey could make out deep indentations of fingernails and a _bite mark_. She gasped. “Justin! You need to get to the nurse’s office! That looks serious!”

He spun around. “I’m heading there now” – his gaze fixated on Lexi – “not to be rude, but you look like shit. Hungover?”

Lexi stood frozen in place. She was focused on an empty space in between Audrey and Justin. Her eyes were dark pools of fear, and although her lip quivered, no words came out.

“Lexi?” Audrey said.

She snapped back to reality. “Why would I be hungover? I’m just running on like, two hours of sleep,” Lexi said to Justin.

“ _Right_ ,” he said. He looked at Audrey and his eyes softened. “Try not to walk anywhere alone, at least not until they catch the guy.”

“You need to file a police report,” she replied.

“I doubt the nurse will patch me up without asking questions, so yeah, I’ll be filing a report.”

“Good” – she paused – “and get a tetanus shot while you’re at it.”

He chuckled; however, she saw how shaken up he was. He held his rigid arms close to his body as if to shield himself from another attack.

“Thanks for the advice, prez. See you around,” he said and hurried to the nurse’s office.

Her chest tightened as he walked away. Their breakup had been messy, but even so, she would never wish anything bad on him. Especially not something as severe as being assaulted.

“He’ll be fine,” Lexi reassured her. “Justin’s a quarterback, it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before.”

“It’s just so weird,” she said. “I can’t even wrap my head around it.”

Lexi shrugged. “Look, there’s your vice president. You should go say hi to him and forget about Justin. I’m going to homeroom; I need to sit down.”

She spotted David Hale standing next to a bulletin board across the hall. He was one of her best friends, even before they ran for student government together. He had plans to go to the police academy after they graduated, and she had convinced him that being vice president would look great on his resume.

“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit,” she said.

“Try not to be late. You’re supposed to be the good influence, remember?”

She stuck her tongue out at Lexi. “Save me a seat, smart-ass,” she replied before they parted ways.

“Hey David. How was your weekend?” I hope you didn’t spend too much time studying,” she greeted him. He did not answer. His eyes were locked on the bulletin board like magnets, as if he were in a trance.

“Uh, David? Hello?” She waved her hand in front of his face, and that did the trick as he blinked a couple of times and acknowledged her presence.

“Oh, hi Addie,” he said. His voice sounded groggy, like he had just woken up from a nap.

She at once noticed that his normally rosy cheeks had been replaced by an ashen gray and exclaimed, “not _you_ too! There must be a bug going around.”

A faint smile dangled at the corners of his lips. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“That’s what my sister said. I think you both should go home and get some quality shut eye. Especially you since we’ve got our debate against Stockton this Saturday.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. _I promise_ ,” he replied.

The warning bell went off, signaling that they needed to get to homeroom. She clutched her textbooks to her chest. Her chemistry book was beginning to weigh her down. “Will I see you during break? We can discuss our debate strategy if you’re feeling up to it,” she said.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Cool” – her eyes lingered over his chest – “aren’t you hot in that sweater? They haven’t switched us over to fall uniforms yet.”

“Not at all, it’s chilly in here,” he answered.

It was _at least_ seventy degrees inside of the school.

* * *

Mrs. Campo had just begun to take attendance when she got to homeroom. On her way to take a seat next to Lexi, she caught a glimpse of a newspaper article on Mrs. Campo’s desk.

_Charming P.D. continues their search for missing high school student Katie Addams._

She bit her bottom lip and sat down. Katie was friends with Lexi. She hoped that this was just a case of teenage rebellion, and that Katie would turn up soon.

“Booyah!” Opie cheered from behind her. “I scraped a C+ in math _and_ science! I totally thought I failed both! How’d you do, Tara?”

“Oh, me?” Tara hesitantly replied. “Still a solid B student. But it’s whatever.”

Her forehead puckered. Tara Knowles and _B_ grades did not belong in the same sentence. She knew that Tara aspired to go to med school, and she had excelled in their shared biology class last semester. “Honestly, I’m surprised you have enough time to study at all. You’re taking advanced classes, working part time, _and_ maintaining a ‘B’ average. That’s impressive,” she said to Tara.

Tara beamed. “Thanks, Addie. I could say the same about you.”

She felt a warm flush creep up her neck and flood her face. Lexi drummed her fingertips against the desk.

“By the way,” Tara said to her. “I have the house to myself next weekend. I’m throwing a little get-together, and it’s gonna be our last chance to take a dip in the pool before it gets too cold.”

She wrinkled her nose as she thought it over. She always had a blast hanging out with Tara, but those outings never included her “ _friend_ ” Jax.

Simply put, the last person she would trust in a life or death situation was _Jax Teller_. The boy reeked of trouble. She was certain that he spent more time with a cigarette between his lips than a pen between his fingers, and two months into the school year, he had only shown up to their chemistry class _four times_. He had even ruined a budding friendship of hers and – no, she did not want to think about _him_.

She caught herself being judgmental. She had no room to talk. She had dated _Justin Fuller,_ and that relationship had been a giant dumpster fire.

She nodded. “I’ll go.”

“You know I’m gonna need to see you take a shot at the beer keg, right?” Opie joked.

“Don’t listen to him. You do whatever makes you feel comfortable,” Tara intercepted.

“I was only kidding!” Opie said.

Her lips curved upwards. Despite how she felt about Jax, she never sensed any bad energy around Opie. Not to say that they were close, but his friendliness projected onto _everyone_. You could stick Opie in a room filled with strangers and within an hour he would have them all chatting like a group of long-lost friends.

“We’ll have fun,” she said.

Needing a distraction, she glanced over at Lexi, who had only gotten worse. Her skin was drained of color, and beads of sweat had accumulated on her forehead.

“Lex,” she said quietly, trying to get her sister’s attention without making a scene. Lexi was unresponsive. Her eyes were vacant and bloodshot, and her veins threatened to pop out of her skin. The dark blue blood vessels running down her neck were so vivid, a stark contrast against her light complexion.

“That’s it,” she said. “You’re going to the nurse’s office.” She raised her hand, grabbing Mrs. Campo’s attention.

“Yes, Audrey?”

“Lexi’s not feeling well. May I have a hall pass and take her to the nurse?”

“I’m sure the both of you don’t have to go” – Mrs. Campo’s eyes widened as she looked at Lexi – “oh, _goodness_. She _does_ need an escort.”

She felt the stares from her fellow classmates as Mrs. Campo wrote up two hall passes. “Let’s go,” she said. Lexi groaned as Audrey helped her to her feet.

“Feel better, Lexi,” Opie called out as they exited the classroom.

Lexi mumbled something about not feeling good as she staggered down the hallway. Audrey held onto her to help steady her movements. When they reached the nurse’s office, Lexi was ushered to a bed so that she could lie down. She brushed Lexi’s hair out of her face and squeezed her shoulder. “You rest up, okay? I’ll be back later to check up on you.”

Lexi’s eyes were shut tight, and she was not expecting a response as she headed for the door.

“Wait,” Lexi said in a small, feeble voice. “I have something that I need to tell you.”

She turned around. “What is it?”

“I sneaked out to go to a party last night.”

“What! Who drove you there?”

“Lisa Martin gave me a ride and I walked home. You didn’t answer the phone and Lisa was too drunk to do anything other than sleep.”

Her brows knitted in a frown. In any other scenario, she would have been angry. Her parents were counting on her to take care of her little sister while they were away. But with just one look at Lexi’s tiny, weak frame - the only emotion she could muster up was _worry_.

With sweaty palms, she tried to lighten the mood. “I guess Justin was right, you’ve got one hell of a hangover,” she said through a forced chuckle.

“No. I barely drank” – her eyes brimmed with tears – “something bit me, Addie.”

“ _Something_ bit you, like an animal?”

Lexi shook her head. “When I woke up this morning, my memories were foggy, but they’re starting to come back,” she choked out.

She pulled up a chair and sat down. She took Lexi’s hand in hers. “Tell me everything you remember.”

“Katie’s dead.”

The newspaper article about the missing girl flashed through her mind. “What do you mean? What does this have to do with you being sick- “

A fretful stream of tears poured down Lexi’s cheeks. “I _saw_ her. Her eyes were gone, and chunks of her face were missing and then she bit me- “

She placed her palm on Lexi’s forehead. She was burning up. “Whoa. The police have _not_ found Katie yet. There’s a good chance that she’s still alive, and definitely not a _walking corpse_ that bites people- “

“ _She is_ , and she’s not the only one,” Lexi replied in a disturbingly calm manner.

So, not only had her sister come down with a strange illness, but she was now claiming to have been bit by a _dead person_. Were hallucinations another symptom?

Lexi continued. “I managed to get away. I stabbed Katie in the head with my house key and ran home. I had to take the long way to avoid _another one_.”

“Another dead person?”

“Yes. When I got back, I sterilized the bite with the first aid kit that mom keeps under the bathroom sink, and then I forced myself to go to sleep. And like I said, when I woke up my mind was hazy, but I remember everything now.”

She gulped. Lexi was _sold_ on this story. “Can I see the bite?” she asked.

Lexi bobbed her head. Audrey carefully removed the scarf from around her neck. She had a band aid covering the wound, surrounded by patches of reddened skin. She slowly peeled off the band aid, revealing a gnarly bite mark. It was not deep, thankfully, but the outline of teeth were present.

She inhaled a sharp breath. “I have to report this, Lex.”

She felt like the world’s biggest idiot. How had she not heard her sister sneaking in and out of the house? _Or_ heard the phone ring when she tried to call? Lexi had been attacked and it was _her_ fault. She could already see the look of disappointment on her parent’s faces.

As if Lexi could read her mind, she said, “It’s not your fault, Addie. You were asleep, and I know how tired you were from your student council stuff.”

Her eyes watered, and she fought the urge to burst into tears. She had to be strong for Lexi. “I’m going to talk to the nurse. You need to go to the hospital and get this checked out,” she said.

“Okay. I want you to know that I love you, Addie.”

That comment set her off. “I love you, too,” she sobbed.

The next thing Lexi said to her caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

_“You are not safe.”_

She wiped her eyes and leaned down to peck Lexi’s forehead. “Everything is going to be okay,” she said. “Just relax.”

She left Lexi’s bedside to hunt down the nurse, who was swamped. Splayed fingers covered her eyes as she sat in front of a large stack of paperwork. Audrey lightly tapped on the desk to get her attention.

“My sister’s in really bad shape. She told me that she was attacked last night, and she has a bite mark on her neck- “

“Oh dear. That’s the _seventh_ one today,” the nurse replied.

Her breath hitched. Was it possible that Lexi and Justin had been attacked by the same person? That was the only logical conclusion she could think of. Charming P.D. needed to _find_ this guy. What if he had something to do with Katie’s disappearance as well?

“She’s experiencing hallucinations,” she said. “She thinks her attacker was” – she trailed off – “she thinks she was bitten by a _corpse_.”

“I’ll call an ambulance for your sister and keep an eye on her until they get here.”

“Our parents are on a flight home from New York, so you won’t be able to reach them,” she replied.

The nurse gave her an understanding look. “I’ll leave them a message, and we’ll alert you when the ambulance arrives so that you can ride with her.”

She looked around the office and realized that there was nowhere for her to wait. It was packed with students. “Thank you,” she said and gave the nurse a half-smile.

She went back to Lexi’s room and cast her a final glance. She seemed to have slipped into a deep sleep. She let out shallow, ragged breaths that rattled in her throat. Audrey did not want to leave. She could have just stood there until the ambulance came, but the nurse came back and assured her that everything was fine and told her to get to class so that Lexi could rest.

* * *

Second period chemistry was a total drag. It was impossible to focus when all she could do was think about Lexi – and Justin too. Their experiences were eerily similar, minus the whole _walking corpse_ thing. And where the hell was the ambulance? It should have been there by now; St. Thomas was only a ten-minute drive away. She blocked out the lecture as her eyes continuously drifted towards the clock. Each minute that passed felt like an hour. Something was wrong.

The bell rang.

“Good class, everyone,” her chemistry teacher called out over the sound of shuffling feet.

The girl sitting next to her, Donna, zipped up her backpack and asked, “How’d you score on the exam?”

She blinked. “I got a ninety-five. You?”

Donna laughed, exposing her dimples. “I got a solid seventy-nine.”

“That’s not a bad grade, considering that half the test wasn’t on the study guide. Go figure.”

“I guess,” Donna replied. “I’d still kill for your brain and self-discipline.”

She waved her hand in a shushing motion. “I’m nothing special, I just read a lot. Maybe we can study together sometime?”

Donna perked up. “Definitely! Are you free after school by any chance?”

Her stomach growled. It was too early for lunch, but she needed a snack. It had been a hell of a morning. “Not today – but sometime,” she said as she collected her things.

“Uh, right! Okay!” Donna chirped from behind her.

She bee-lined for the cafeteria. She was craving something that would make her insides rot. She was pushing a button on the vending machine when an announcement over the loudspeaker cut through her thoughts.

“ **Justin Fuller to the Principal’s office! I repeat, Justin Fuller to the Principal’s office**!”

She caught wind of a conversation going on at a table next to her –

“Heard he actually bit someone.”

“For real? I mean, he punched my friend’s older brother once...but that is a whole new level.”

“I heard he got into a really brutal fight on his way to school today, maybe it had him on edge.”

“Whatever the reason, I hope he gets suspended. Justin’s always been a bully, but biting? That’s just out of control.”

Not wanting to hear another word, she grabbed her snack from the vending machine and sat down at an empty table. There were a few minutes left of morning break before she had to get to math class.

“Hey,” a voice said. “Mind if I join you?”

She looked up. It was David. “Yes, of course.”

He was not his usual, talkative self. His glassy eyes stared at nothing in particular and he shivered despite being overdressed.

“David.”

Nothing.

“David!” she raised her voice the second time.

“Huh?” he said.

“Seriously! First Lexi and now you too?”

“Must be something going around,” he replied.

“That’s what I told you earlier, don’t you remember?”

“I do now,” he answered.

She was starting to get pissed off. “Why don’t you just leave? I can take care of student government.”

“You know how my parents are. My dad told me not to run if I wasn’t going to take the job seriously.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she said.

The bell rang.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom, I’ll see you in math,” David said.

“Okay, I’ll save you a seat.”

* * *

“Everyone turn your textbooks to page five hundred and twenty-one- “

A high-pitched creak came from the front of the classroom and Juice Ortiz slithered through the door. He waltzed past the podium and tried to sneak into the back row.

A crease formed between Mr. Roberts' brows. “Ah, Mr. Ortiz. How kind of you to finally join us – twenty minutes late and reeking of cigarette smoke.”

“I like to make a grand entrance, you know, grace you all with my presence,” Juice replied and snapped him a sharp salute.

Mr. Roberts was having none of it. “How incredibly thoughtful of you, but I’m going to need you to fix your shirt before I allow you to have a seat.”

Juice peered down at himself and pretended to be surprised, inspiring several snickers throughout the room. “It’s too hot for all that, and I don’t see how tucking in my shirt will help me learn.”

Mr. Roberts folded his arms. “It’s not about learning, it’s about following the rules. This school has a dress code. So, fix your uniform and stop disrupting my class.”

“That’s interesting. I thought learning was the point of school?” Juice shot back.

Audrey’s bullshit meter was ticking into the red zone. Typical Juice. He was nothing more than a class clown who wasted everyone’s time. He _loved_ the attention, and teachers always fed into it.

Which was a shame, given that they used to be friends. She had been his peer mentor when he transferred to Charming High from Queens during their sophomore year. He was a sweetheart at first – shy, quiet, _cute_ , and even funny without being an ass. But that all changed when he got a job at Teller-Morrow, aka the shadiest place in town. Once he started hanging around Jax and the members of SAMCRO, his entire attitude shifted. She distanced herself from him after that and they had barely spoken over the last two years.

“Sir just ignore him. Arguing with him is pointless,” she spoke up.

Juice gave her a cocky wink. “And that’s why I voted for Hayes-Hale. Because _that_ is the kind of leadership this school needs.”

“I’m not doing you any favors, I just want to get on with class,” she replied, pursing her lips.

Mr. Roberts let out an exasperated sigh. “I am going to ask you one final time. Tuck your shirt in and take a seat, or I’ll be seeing you in detention.”

“Not happening, sir.”

“Well since I can’t have you in my class with a dress code violation, you’re going to have to leave. And that’ll be a write-up for after school detention, Mr. Ortiz.”

Juice twisted his lips into a wry smile. “ _Well since_ I have your permission, I’ll see you around,” he said and vanished through the door as quickly as he had appeared.

Her eyes rolled skyward. It was not difficult to tuck your shirt in. Why did he feel the need to make a fool of himself? Whatever. It was his grades that would suffer, not hers.

“I apologize for that interruption. Now where was I? Oh, right, please turn your textbooks to page five hundred- “

David’s hand shot up. “Sir,” he mumbled.

“Yes, Mr. Hale?”

“I’m not feeling well...can I be... excused?”

She tilted her head towards David. He looked _awful_ , even worse than Lexi. She was shocked that he had made it this far into the day.

“Yes, you’re looking quite pale. See the nurse and get her to send you home, I’ll write you a hall pass,” Mr. Roberts replied.

“Thank you,” David said, he sounded exhausted. He forced himself to stand up and steadied himself on the desk. The sleeve of his uniform rode up, revealing a _bite mark._ It was identical to the one on Lexi’s neck.

She sat there with her mouth agape, trying to make sense of it all. “David, what happened to your arm?” she whispered.

He jerked his arm away, hiding the bite beneath his cuff. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The image of the angry wound and spidery veins was burned into her mind, and the fact that everyone who had one became increasingly debilitated shortly after.

“But- “she said as he stumbled on his way up to the teacher’s podium.

Mr. Roberts had David’s hall pass. “Take care of yourself and rest up.”

But David did not take the hall pass. His eyes were glazed over. He slowly turned around, facing away from Mr. Roberts.

“Mr. Hale?”

No response. You could hear a pin drop in the classroom.

“David are you alright?” he tried again.

A few students laughed. “The hell’s his problem- “

Suddenly, David swung back around. His eyes had rolled all the way to the back of his head. There was no soul left in his milky white, bloodshot pupils. He lunged at Mr. Roberts, and she and her classmates watched in horrified shock as the vice president of student council ripped his teacher’s throat out with his teeth. Mr. Roberts let out a bloodcurdling scream before his body slumped to the floor. David stepped back. Low, heaving groans escaped his mouth, releasing rivulets of blood that dripped down his face.

The classroom erupted into chaos.

“Oh my god!” she shrieked.

“Not today, Satan!” someone yelled from the back and charged for the door.

“ _Don’t...run...in... the...halls_ ,” David groaned.

His wild, crazy eyes scanned the room, darting between fleeing students before they finally settled on _her_. Desks were knocked over, and her classmates tripped over each other as everyone simultaneously made a mad dash for the exit.

David bared his teeth, red with Mr. Roberts' blood, and started to shamble towards her. “David, what are you doing!” she cried.

It was her _job_ to find solutions through communication. Maybe she could reason with him - “we are _Hayes-Hale_ , remember? I went over to your house for dinner the night we decided to run for student council and your older brother, Jacob, helped us write our campaign speech- “

He made a grab for her, and she felt his fingers skim the fabric of her skirt, but she managed to slip out of his grasp before he could dig his nails into her flesh.

Well, it had been worth a shot.

The quick dodge caused her heels to lose their grip on the floor and she went tumbling down. Her eyes frantically searched for a weapon to defend herself. In the madness, a pair of scissors had fallen to the ground, and they were just within her reach. She clasped them in her hand, holding on tightly even though her shaking fingers threatened to drop them at any moment.

She rose to her feet. Could she do it? Could she kill her best friend, before he _killed her_?

He pounced towards her, and all remnants of the boy she once knew were gone. She made her decision.

“I’m sorry, David,” she said and stabbed him. The scissors sank into his chest with a sickening _squish_. He fell backwards, giving her ample time to escape the classroom. She slammed the door shut and peeked through the glass.

David was _already_ getting back up. But that was _impossible_. No living, breathing person could take a stab to the chest like that and continue like nothing happened.

Unless...

The halls were filled with screams of terror. The floors were slick with spilled blood, and she could only watch as her peers mindlessly tore each other apart.

It was complete mayhem. Someone needed to alert the Principal!

That exact second, the door to Principal Thompson’s office swung open and Justin lumbered out. Principal Thompson was on the floor behind him, unconscious as blood leaked out of a large gash in his chest. Justin had lost all sense of humanity as he ambled down the hallway in search of another warm body.

Everyone had lost their minds! She had to get out of there, but first she needed to save her sister. Lexi would never make it out alone in her condition. She took a deep breath and leaped into action, her heels nearly slipping on the floor as she ran. Her terror mounted with every step as she avoided ghastly students with their arms outstretched towards her.

When she reached the nurse’s office, she was horrified to discover that the door was locked. She desperately fiddled with the door handle, but it would not budge.

“Lexi, are you in there? Someone please unlock the door!” she cried as a wave of helplessness washed over her. She pressed her ear to the solid wood. On the other side, she could make out the sounds of heavy breathing and slow, dragging footsteps. She jiggled the door handle again for good measure, but it was no use.

She spotted a note that had been slipped under the door and leaned over to pick it up. It was Lexi’s handwriting, and the words on the page ignited fear that crept up her spine.

_GET OUT!_

She turned back around and realized a little too late that she had made a grave mistake. While distracted, she had gotten surrounded. Six of her undead classmates were circling her and inching closer, ready to tear her to pieces. Justin was at the forefront, his fingernails caked with blood.

He had ripped her heart out figuratively, and now, he was about to _literally_ rip it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh! What's going to happen to Audrey? Find out in Chapter 2!


End file.
